Electric time-switch.



NO. 791,780. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905.

J. HELMSTADTER, JR. ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 26,1904.

FIG. 2

INVENTO WITNESSES wflw Patented .Iune 6, 1905 PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB HELMSTADTER, Jlt, OF MOKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC TIME-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,780, dated June 6, 1905.

Original application filed December 11, 1903, Serial No. 184,801. Divided and this application filed July 26, 1904. Serial No. 218,213.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JACOB HELMSTADTER,J r. a resident of lWIcKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Time-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to an automatic electricswitch-operating device, and has for its object to provide a cheap, simple, and effective mechanism for automatically extinguishing lamps at predetermined times-as, for instance, in shop-windows and similar places where it is desired to have the lamps in operation only during a specified period of time, thus avoiding the annoyance, expense, and possible neglect of personal service for such work.

My invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement, construction, and combination of parts, as hereinafter more specifically set forth and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to construct and use my improved automatic electric-SWitch-operating device, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric switch, showing my improved operating device connected thereto. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Like symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of the figures of the drawings.

As illustrated in the drawings, A represents a backing or support, of wood or other suitable material, upon which is mounted the doublepole electric switch 1 of suitable construction and which has its terminals 2 3 connected by positive and negative feed and distributing wires through the feed-box and to the currentreceiving devices, respectively, (not shown,) in the ordinary manner.

4 represents a clock mechanism of any of the well-known forms removably mounted in the standards a on the support A, and such clock is provided with the usual small dial, whereby the operation of the mechanism hereinafter described may be regulated. As in all well-known forms of alarm apparatus, the clock is provided with a device constructed to operate at the time to which the hand on the small dial is set to move any form of alarmreleasing apparatus for operating the alarm 6 through the rod 7/, and this rod 5 is connected to a shaft 5, projecting through the clock for acrank-arm 6 thereon and on which is preferably mounted a small grooved roller 7. In the present mechanism this device 0perates in the well-known manner to rotate the shaft 5 on the clock 4 and with said shaft the crank-arm 6 and the roller 7 thereon, while such shaft 5 constitutes the winding-shaft for the small-dial mechanism.

Extending around the switch 1 is the U- shaped spring-piece 8, which is preferably formed of wire and provided at its end with the coiled section 8 for being fastened in any desired manner to the support A and so constructed that said string-piece 8 will always tend to assume a perpendicular position. A bell-crank lever 9, made, preferably, of wire and provided with the coiled section 9, is fastened by such section to the support A at 9, and one end, 10, is adapted to engage with the grooved roller 7 on the crank-arm 6 of the clock 4, while the opposite end, 10, is provided with a hook 10" for engaging with the forward end 8 of the spring-piece 8 when this piece 8 has been depressed into a position substantially parallel with the surface of the support A.

The use and operation of my improved automatic electric-switch-operating device is as follows: The pointer on the small dial of the clock 4: is set at the hour at which it is desired the switch 1 to be opened, and such small-dial mechanism is wound by the crankarm 6 on the shaft 5 thereof. After this is done the spring-piece 8 can be pressed down into position parallel with the face of the support A and be retained in its position by means of the hook 10 on the bell-crank lever 9 engaging with the forward end 8 on the spring-piece 8. The opposite end 10 on the lever 9 is then placed or drawn over the grooved roller 7 on the crank-arm 6 of the clock 4, after which the switch 1 is dropped down onto its terminals 2 3, which will thus allow its handle 1 to be in position directly over the end 8- of the spring-piece 8, sothat with switch 1 and its engaging and operating parts in these positions, as shown in Fig. 1, the circuit is broken and unsupplied to the lights, motors, or other receivingdevices. The various parts of the apparatus now remains in this position until the time when the operating mechanism in the clock 4:.iSlfiCli1lated by reason of the arrangement of parts incident to the setting of the hand on the small dial of the c-lock,=sothat when the operation occurs in the clock 4 the crank=arms 6 on'the shaft 5 of said clock will be rotated and in its movementwill. raise the end 10. of .the le-' .ver 9 on .thegrooved roller 7, and thereby release the hook 1 0 on said-:lever v9 from engagement with the forward end 8 of the spring-piece 8, while the end 10 of the lever Swill leave its roller on .the arm 6 and. drop down onto thesupport A. This releasing of the end 8- of the spring-piece 8 bythe hook 10 will immediately allow said spring tofly upward by itspressure and in doing so come into contactwith the handlel of the switch .1, and to raise. the blades 1 of said switch on its pivots 31 and breaking contact between .said blades .andxthe: jaws 2- of the terminals 2, thereby cutting. off the supply of'the current of the light of the other receiving devices.

-It will be evident that any suitable device for lighting the lamps,.&c., can be employed, such :as that shown in my application filed December 11, 1903, Serial No. 184,801,. and of which .thisapplication is a division, in which casea single clock mechanism can be employed :having two alarm mechanisms there- .on, if desired, and it willhalso be evident that single or double pole switches can be used. It will also be obvious. that the alarm b onthe clock can be done away with,-if desired, and that-it will be further understood that while I- havezillustrated and described-the preferred formand arrangement of parts of my invention it will-further be obvious that the mechanical construction, as well as said arrangement, may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What-I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. :The combination with-an electric switch, of an alarm-winding shaft in an alarm-clock, an arm on said winding-shaft, a spring-piece formed of wire for engaging directly with said spring-pieceand for resting against said arm, said lever having .a hookedendl for holdlng said sprlng-plecez 1n its lowered .pos1t1on .and for releasing-the same to a automatically raisesaid switch at a predetermined time in breaking an .electriccircuit.

Thecombination-with .an elect-ricswitch,

of an alarm-winding shaft in an alarm-clock,

.an arm on said winding-shaft, -.a spring-piece extending around. and under said switch in its loweredposition, and a single pivoted. bellcrank leverformed:ofawirefor engaging directly with said spring-pieceandfor resting against said-arm, said lever havinga bent hooked end thereon for holding-said. springpiecein its lowered position .andfor. releasing a predetermined timein breaking an electric circuit.

- 4. The combination with a supporting-base, of an electric-switch, an alarm-Winding shaft in an alarm-clock, .an .arm on said windingshaft, a spring-piece secured to saidbasefor extending around and under saidswitch in its lowered position, and. asingle I bell-crank eleverfornhed of wire for. engaging directly with said. spring-pieceand for resting against said .arm, said lever beingprovided' with a bent hooked end for holding said spring piece in its lowered position and for releasing the same to automatically raise said switch-at a predetermined time in breaking an electric circuit.

In testimony whereof I, the said -JACOB HELMSTADTER, Jr., have hereunto set my hand.

- JACOB HELMSTADTER, J R. Witnesses:

J. N. CooKE, ROBERT H. AXTHELM.

the same to automatically raise said switch at I 

